An Ancient Gesture
by nb41
Summary: Jane and Thor come up with a tradition for dealing with situations where a social function gets to be a little too much for either of them.


Super brief appearance by Tony. I'm playing fast and loose with the physics and actual functional use of the RHIC. Set prior to Avengers: Age of Ultron (no spoilers). Unapologetic make out fluff for the Avengers Kissing Meme. Prompt: Jane/Thor, tradition

* * *

The first time Thor drew Jane away from the clamor and bustle of a party and into a private corner to make out, she just figured it was because they hadn't seen much of one another in a couple of weeks. Her spring schedule had been packed with conferences, guest lectures, interviews, and research, and though Thor sometimes dropped in to see her for a few hours between events his own tasks with the Avengers kept him nearly as busy as she was. They'd generally come to accept that any reasonable stretch of time for themselves would need to wait for whenever they both had extended breaks.

This was supposed to have been the start of one such break, but a delayed flight into La Guardia and bad traffic had Jane arriving at the Tower a full three hours later than intended. Thor wasn't in the modest apartment they shared when she got in and the lab was oddly deserted, so she went to the penthouse floor, figuring there might be a group activity afoot. She stepped off the elevator, and the sight of numerous 'casually fancy' dressed people made her heart sink. There was indeed a group activity underway: one of Tony's impromptu mixers.

"Jane," Tony said as he swept in from around a knot of people. He offered her a champagne flute, which she accepted out of habit. "Have a moment for some face time? Musk is here."

The actual answer was, 'No, I just spent two hours waiting in airports followed by an hour in traffic, and now, I'm going to find Thor and we're going somewhere away from everyone—up to and including Elon Musk.' It was also an answer she knew she shouldn't give. A chat with Musk would be useful, and sooner or later the party would end, and _then_ she'd have Thor all to herself.

Thanking whatever providence had led her to freshen up in the apartment before coming upstairs, Jane said, "Sure," and let him lead her through the crowd.

It was a good thirty minutes before Thor found her, by which time she was done talking to Musk and had moved on to making the rounds. She knew he was approaching by the way the eyes of the older gentleman she was talking to shifted up and just over her shoulder and an expression of nervousness stole over his face. You wouldn't know Jacob Gibbs was a lauded physics professor and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich who wrangled academic politics as his bread and butter by the way he all but shrank back when Thor stepped up behind her.

"Professor Gibbs," Thor said. Jacob swallowed and nodded.

"Mr. Thor. Jane and I were just discussing her recent work with RHIC."

Thor slid an arm around Jane's waist, and she covered his hand with hers. "Yes, they appear to have been successful in recreating the internals of a dead star's heart," he said. His voice was a pleasant and deep thrum behind her. "I'm told this is a new accomplishment."

Jacob blinked at him. "Ah, yes. I mean, we've never been able to confirm what it's like inside a neutron star, but Jane's work with the Greenwich Event combined with their data helped make that possible." He bit his lip. "I take it your people have also studied these sorts of things?"

"Yes, we've been mining stellar cores for some time now." There was an awkward pause in which Jacob's eyes widened, and Jane squeezed Thor's wrist. He added, "Though like humans we performed extensive experiments before doing so directly."

"...of course." Jacob cleared his throat. "Well. They're truly splendid results, and it should keep them off the chopping block if there are more budget cuts to the States' science funding."

Jane sighed. "I sure hope so. It was touch and go last year."

"It would be a shame to have learned so much, only to lose it," Thor agreed.

Jacob seemed to have run out of things to say. He fidgeted with his glass and glanced to his left, then gestured with his free hand. "Oh, there's Margaret. I'm just going to go have a chat with her, we're submitting a grant later this year. It was very nice talking with you, Jane. Thor."

"It's really good to see you," Jane said as Jacob made his retreat. Once he was out of earshot, she tipped her head back and looked up at Thor. "You are so rude. You know he's terrified of you."

"I can't fathom why, I've never been anything but polite in our dealings."

"I think it's because of the ice beast incident."

"The one I removed from his school?"

"'Removed' is a really mild way of putting it."

Thor sniffed. "I was careful, just as you and he requested," he said, sounding put out.

"It was still a mess. The Bifröst left a huge scar in the library courtyard and half the glass in the reading room had to be replaced."

"You did make me promise not to kill it."

"So I did." Jane patted the arm around her waist. "How've you been?"

"Well enough. Better, now that you're returned."

"Does that mean you're going to monopolize me for the rest of the night?"

"Only most of it."

She reached back and poked him in the side. "I have to make nice with the people who have money, and I can't do that if you're looming at them."

He made a low noise and kissed her forehead. "If only those who funded your undertakings were not so flighty. You must finish your work so that humanity will interact with other species, and then be less intimidated by them."

"I'm sure this will come as a shock, but the fact that you're an alien _isn't_ the most intimidating thing about you."

Thor laughed and hugged her tight against him for a moment, then stepped away so she could turn to face him. He was in a long, dark blue coat tonight, and had paired it with a crisp, white, button-up shirt and black slacks. It was a bold and minimal look, and Jane wondered if part of Jacob's nervousness didn't stem from the cognitive dissonance of knowing what Thor was capable of and seeing him dressed so simply.

"Jane," she heard Pepper say, and spotted her on the edge of the crowd. She had Maria and the Director of the NSF with her.

She stood up on her toes to give Thor a quick kiss. "Duty calls." He squeezed her hands, gently and firmly, before releasing them, and she went to join Pepper and Maria. She thought she could feel him watching her as she made her way through the press of attendees.

A good hour or so later Thor stole up behind her again, this time without scaring off anyone since she was just getting another club soda from the bar. "Come outside with me," he said into her ear. She took her drink from the bartender (who bobbed her eyebrows and gave Jane a thumbs up) and let Thor escort her out onto the balcony without complaint. It would be nice to get outside.

In the spring Tony liked to put potted plants out (Pepper said it reminded him of Malibu), which this year included clumps of tall, ruffly irises in clashing colors, a weeping fig which probably needed to be moved back inside, and several large, immaculately pruned cypresses. They slipped behind the thickest arrangement which would shield them from both the guests inside and telescope-wielding spies in neighboring buildings. As soon as Jane set her drink in one of the pots Thor swept her into a kiss. Several, actually; there wasn't a lot of talking for at least a few minutes.

Presently, Jane said, "Hi." Thor smiled and brushed his lips with hers.

"Hello."

"Miss me?"

"Yes." The way he said it and the look in his eyes made Jane start calculating how much ribbing she could expect if they ditched the party right now. He seemed to guess at her train of thought, because he kissed her neck and said, "I know it's best for your work that you continue helping Stark entertain the guests. I merely wished to properly express how glad I am that you've returned."

She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. "Me too," she said. After a few more minutes they drifted back inside. Thor seemed more at ease when she saw him talking with others, and Jane was less focused on counting the minutes to the end of the function. All in all, she thought the balcony make out had been a good idea.

She wasn't the only one who thought so, since the next handful of functions found them stepping away at some point or another as well. The back porch of Pepper's cabin in Minnesota gave them a view of fireflies drifting through tall grass at dusk as they stole a few minutes on a broad bench. They escaped to the roof of the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas (out of sight of the 'rooftop bar') for a half hour during the banquet for the American Astronomical Society's annual meeting, admiring the city and one another by turns. Art museum galas and garden parties, which Tony encouraged the Avengers to attend because it was good for their image, were a particular favorite thanks to the broad selection of viewing rooms and out-of-the-way nooks in hedge mazes.

Sometimes they had to make due with less fancy locations—the most memorable so far was a roomy kitchen pantry in a hotel and spa Tony had rented out for the weekend—but Thor always tried to get them away from the crowd for at least for a few minutes. They managed to never get caught, and were careful to not go missing for too long. Not that this meant no one knew what they were up to; any time Darcy spied them rejoining a function she gave Jane an impossible-to-miss nod of smug approval, and Jane caught Tony waggling his eyebrows at Thor on more than one occasion. (They both cultivated serene smiles for such occasions, because really, there was no use in denying it.)

When the Stark Industries Annual Beach Party rolled around Jane didn't expect it to be any sort of exception, and Thor didn't disappoint. The event was held outdoors on a miles-wide stretch of golden sand beach in early summer, and owing to the overall lack of cover at the party site they had to wait until well after sunset to make their escape. Once darkness fell they drifted away from the bonfire and scattered torches and wandered until they found an obliging clump of bushes with long, green leaves that promised to protect them from both the wind and casual observation. Thor spread out a thick blanket along one side of it and took a seat, and beckoned for her to join him.

"So is this our thing?" Jane asked as she straddled his lap. "During parties we sneak away and find a private spot as soon as no one will miss us?"

The earthshine of the new moon was lovely and had the added bonus of leaving a few of the brightest stars visible. There was just enough ambient light for her to see him smile as he said, "It is an Æsir custom."

Jane narrowed her eyes and tilted her head back, causing his incoming kiss to land on her chin.

"Yeah?" she said. "Because you're an Æsir and you decided that just now?"

He mmm'd and kissed down her neck. "It predates Asgard."

"You're a really terrible liar," she said into his hair.

He kissed his way back up to her ear and murmured, "Do you mean I tell lies which are terrible, or, that I've no skill in telling them?" His breath and beard tickled, and she bit her lip against a laugh. It would be bad enough if someone stumbled upon them by accident; she wasn't going to draw them with noise. Of course, the surf was probably loud enough (to say nothing of the party-goers still carousing some ways down the beach) that it wouldn't be an issue.

She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his head back. "Both," she said. He smiled and said nothing, and she raised her eyebrows. "Do your people have party traditions? I mean, _actual_ traditions, not, things frustrated couples do because they're tired of sharing their one-on-one time with other people."

He laughed in earnest. "Yes. Revels and feasts come with a great many customs."

"Like what?"

"One you already know, and that is the smashing of the cup."

"Right. So that it never has to bear a less worthy drink again," she said from memory. Thor smiled at her recitation.

"Additionally one may share a drink, to create new bonds or reaffirm old ones. Not by merely pouring a drink for another, but in drinking from the same vessel. Sharing a delicacy or special kind of food, such as organ meat from a prized kill, is also used this way, though in that case the bonds are less intimate. That is usually done for political or financial alliances."

"So you do business at parties too."

"Of course." He slid his hands under her tank top and along her back. "What better place to conduct such affairs than where your partners are more open to negotiations."

"Of course," Jane echoed. "So the drinking, that's for couples and friends?"

"Yes." He got that look he did when he almost said something and then decided not to. "Naturally stories are told—"

"Heavily exaggerated ones."

"— _only_ to improve them," he insisted. "And there are a variety of games we play, some for strategy and some purely for amusement. A few of them are card games, but most use boards and gaming pieces."

"And I bet gambling on the outcome is a thing."

He grinned. "Naturally."

She smiled at the mental image it conjured; similar to Tony's parties, no doubt, but with long tables covered by games in progress and money changing hands as on-lookers argued about tactics, platters of special food drifting among clusters of would-be allies, and broken crockery being swept up for recycling. "We should do some of those things. Except the cup smashing. Unless Tony can come up with a machine that could easily remake the cups from pieces."

"That is what we do on Asgard. And we can, if you would like. Though..." He licked his lips and considered her, and reached down with one hand for her foot while the other stayed at her back. He traced the shape of her ankle until she squirmed, then trailed his fingers along her calf to her knee, spread his hand out flat, and ran it up the outside of her thigh to her hip. He repeated the motion in reverse back down to her heel and began it again. She shut her eyes, focusing on his hand and how amazing it felt, and relaxed her grip on his hair. He took the opportunity to lean forward and kiss her, gentle and slow and lingering. The he settled back on the blanket, careful not to topple her over, and reached up to slide his fingers into her hair and run his thumb over her lips. "I would count this tradition of ours as highly as the ones of my people."

Jane's breath caught in her throat. It was hard to see his expression with it so dark like this, and she wondered if he was watching for her reaction. There'd been a few cultural missteps between them early on, and though she felt they'd hit their stride about navigating such hiccups they still came up from time to time, and he remained wary of them.

She leaned over so she could set her forehead against his and steadied herself with her hands on his shoulders. She reminded herself for the hundredth time that he was real and this was all actually happening. An alien was assuring her that their make out sessions in dark corners were as important to him as the things his race had been doing for probably longer than humans had been writing.

He stroked her face, and she said, "Even ones where we go back to a party with sand in uncomfortable places?"

She thought she felt him smile. "Those in particular."

"Good. Because," Jane ducked her head to nip at his neck, "maybe this time we change up tradition, and skip the going back part."

As luck would have it, he was pretty okay with traditions not being set in stone, _and_ he'd taken note of where to find the beach showers.


End file.
